Kids and TV

Captain Kangaroo, Mickey Mouse, Mr. Rogers, and Big Bird are television characters that exploded on the scene in late 60s and early 70s. They took the place of "Winky Dink" and “Ding Dong School,” which were some of the first attempts of television programming to reach kids.

While on vacation recently, I had the occasion to listen to the radio program “Where We Live” with John Dankosky, a local talk show host. On this particular morning the one hour show was devoted to “The ABCs of Kids TV.” Flanked by Michael Davis, author of Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street, and Dr. Dorothy Singer, Senior Research Scientist at Yale University Department of Psychology and Co-director of the Yale Family Television Research and Consultation Center, the host did an excellent job of analyzing kids TV from the beginning up through the present.

If you have ever watched children’s TV or have children who watch TV, this broadcast is a must-listen-too program.